MatthewKeys Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Hey I just have a few questions about the ampeg svt3 pro in general, because there is a few things happening and i'm just curious whether it's supposed to do what it's doing! 1. Takes a while for the sound the come out after turning it on 2. Sounds like a character in a computer game is dying whenever I turn off my amp? If you don't get what I mean I will try to video it soon. 3. Not very loud, I practice it at Gain half way, Master halfway with a passive bass Now onto the svt410hlf! I bought a new tweeter for my 410HLF cabinet and it arrived today, I bought it because my old tweeter was having no/little effect on the high end, all it really did was add an extra bit of hiss and I was told by the people at loud technologies that it's most likely I had blown my tweeter. Apparently not, the new tweeter is having exactly the same problem! I have made sure I connected it the right way round. I took off the back of the amp and made sure everything was plugged in and intact, which it was..so I really don't know what is going on. Any ideas? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 [quote name='MatthewKeys' post='1192408' date='Apr 7 2011, 11:17 PM']1. Takes a while for the sound the come out after turning it on[/quote] That's usually normal - it takes a while for amps to charge their power supply capacitors. [quote name='MatthewKeys' post='1192408' date='Apr 7 2011, 11:17 PM']2. Sounds like a character in a computer game is dying whenever I turn off my amp? If you don't get what I mean I will try to video it soon..[/quote] Likewise, that's usually normal - I think it's the sound of some of the caps discharging. Any amps that don't have extra circuitry to stop this happening will make interesting noises when you switch them off. [quote name='MatthewKeys' post='1192408' date='Apr 7 2011, 11:17 PM']3. Not very loud, I practice it at Gain half way, Master halfway with a passive bass[/quote] Turn it up more, that's what the knobs are for. If it starts distorting, sounding squished or gets more midrangey and the bottom more thin, then you're running out of output. [quote name='MatthewKeys' post='1192408' date='Apr 7 2011, 11:17 PM']I bought a new tweeter for my 410HLF cabinet and it arrived today, I bought it because my old tweeter was having no/little effect on the high end, all it really did was add an extra bit of hiss and I was told by the people at loud technologies that it's most likely I had blown my tweeter. Apparently not, the new tweeter is having exactly the same problem! I have made sure I connected it the right way round. I took off the back of the amp and made sure everything was plugged in and intact, which it was..so I really don't know what is going on.[/quote] If you're not using fairly fresh strings and your amp is quite mellow sounding (as the SVT3 is) then you might not hear much through a tweeter. If you're hearing hiss from a tweeter then I'd be very surprised if it's blown - if it's hissing then it's working. Plug an iPod or suchlike into your amp and play music through the rig. The cymbals will come mostly through the tweeter so you'll be able to hear clearly if it's working or not. Turn the tweeter knob up and down and listen to how the sound changes. The 410HLF has quite a large dip in the upper midrange and treble between where the woofers roll off and the tweeter kicks in, and that may be the sonic region where you're noticing the lack of treble, not where the tweeter has output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salt on your Bass? Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Try cranking the gain full then adding volume to taste. Thats the way i used to run mine. A lot more enjoyable...dependig on what yoire going for, but gives you full ampeg flavour! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Check out the user manual, [url="http://www.ampeg.com/pdf/SVT-3PRO.pdf"]http://www.ampeg.com/pdf/SVT-3PRO.pdf[/url] There is a delay when you switch on. You'll gear a soft "thump" when the delay is over. Many amps make a noise when powering down. Turn down the Master if you don't want to hear it. The SVT3PRO needs to have the Master on full and the Gain balancing your volume. If you have the EQ section switched on (I didn't bother with this) then the volume fader will affect your overall volume. There is a 15 db cut button. Don't push this in or you will loose a lot of volume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robocorpse Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 [quote name='MatthewKeys' post='1192408' date='Apr 7 2011, 11:17 PM']Hey I just have a few questions about the ampeg svt3 pro in general, because there is a few things happening and i'm just curious whether it's supposed to do what it's doing! 1. Takes a while for the sound the come out after turning it on 2. Sounds like a character in a computer game is dying whenever I turn off my amp? If you don't get what I mean I will try to video it soon. 3. Not very loud, I practice it at Gain half way, Master halfway with a passive bass[/quote] 1) Normal. Amp needs to charge power capacitors and settle. 2) Normal. Power caps drain and power rails drop, this makes all kinds of bizarre sounds on different gear. 3) Normal. In a small rehearsal room with a loud band, a 4x10 doesn't have room to breathe. Step 20 feet away from it (if you can) and listen again, now its deafening. Plug it into a 103db 810E and it will take your face off. I practice with a similar setup (SVT3/410), and I have the master on 10 and the gain on about 6. We have a very loud drummer. [quote]I bought a new tweeter for my 410HLF cabinet and it arrived today, I bought it because my old tweeter was having no/little effect on the high end, all it really did was add an extra bit of hiss and I was told by the people at loud technologies that it's most likely I had blown my tweeter.[/quote] Bollocks, take it back and get your money back. If the tweet is blown, why is it hissing? I'd look at your source bass and your EQ, and the sound you are trying to achieve, like for example if you are trying to get a Mark King sound out of a '51Pbass with flats, it aint gonna happen... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cetera Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 [quote name='chris_b' post='1192735' date='Apr 8 2011, 11:35 AM']The SVT3PRO needs to have the Master on full and the Gain balancing your volume. If you have the EQ section switched on (I didn't bother with this) then the volume fader will affect your overall volume. There is a 15 db cut button. Don't push this in or you will loose a lot of volume.[/quote] ^ This..... The SVTIIIPro has no lack of power if used correctly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salt on your Bass? Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 [quote name='cetera' post='1192759' date='Apr 8 2011, 11:56 AM']^ This..... The SVTIIIPro has no lack of power if used correctly... [/quote] +1!! Yup, indeed this! Been a long time since I had it and forgot whch way round!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 The SVT 3-Pro is strange in the way it works. As others have said, master on full, then get the volume with the gain seems to get good results. When I had mine (albeit briefly - long story, no reflection on the amp) I had no problems with volume. Into my two Ampeg cabs which I had at the time - SVT 410HE & SVT 210HE - the performance was equal to my TC Electronic Classic 450, with the same volume/gain settings (both on about 4). If extra volume is needed, and you`re not using the graphic, switch it on with all sliders set flat, then use the grahic level slider - this also way increases the volume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatthewKeys Posted April 8, 2011 Author Share Posted April 8, 2011 Hey everyone, thanks for all the replies! But as for the tweeter, there is DEFINITELY a problem. There is NO significant change when changing between full and completely off, there is only a bit of extra noise and a tiny bit of high end added. I remember when I first got my cabinet secondhand, the tweeter was really harsh and I had to keep it at like half way.. but this doesn't come close even when full now... But i'm pretty sure it's not the tweeter that is broken because I connected it to my dads P.A system and we played music through it and it sounds fine. What could it possibly be if it's not the actual tweeter? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goingdownslow Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 I can't remember if these cabs have a lamp in to protect the horn, but worth checking it is ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy67 Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 (edited) Yep +1 with the master at full and work on the gain. I also have the tube drive full on also! It is a fabulous amp when used properly. The issue with the horn: Has the cab got a crossover in it or some sort of circuit with a resistor? andy interesting links: [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f15/ampeg-pr410-hlf-tweeter-crapping-out-174098/"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f15/ampeg-pr...ing-out-174098/[/url] [url="http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopic.php?p=562329&sid=d18161bfeb31f1fdf76f6fa57d1cfba1"]http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopic.p...76f6fa57d1cfba1[/url] Edited April 10, 2011 by andy67 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cetera Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 An oddity with this amp is also that the drive control is on FULL when at the lowest (7 o'clock) position and OFF when at the highest (5 o'clock) position! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 I think thats why it has a bit of a poor reputation - its just an odd amp to use. However, once you know how it all works, it`s a great amp! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy67 Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 [quote name='cetera' post='1195549' date='Apr 11 2011, 11:41 AM']An oddity with this amp is also that the drive control is on FULL when at the lowest (7 o'clock) position and OFF when at the highest (5 o'clock) position![/quote] Right Mr Cetera, you have confused me a bit! I thought that dialing the tube gain to full on (10) was optimum setting for the tubes?? Oh.. please explain andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 RTFM chaps.... [url="http://www.ampeg.com/pdf/SVT-3PRO.pdf"]http://www.ampeg.com/pdf/SVT-3PRO.pdf[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robocorpse Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Sounds like either your tweeter volume pot, or the crossover is knackered then. Get it out and check for burn marks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy67 Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Got it! link: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMIi1UV151w"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMIi1UV151w[/url] Very interesting indeed and I got it back to front! andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatthewKeys Posted April 17, 2011 Author Share Posted April 17, 2011 hey everyone thanks for the replies. As for my tweeter, a friend of mine told me about having a look at the crossover in my 410hlf.. so I did, again; he suggested that the glass fuses could be blown or something along them lines. The glass fuses look intact, but they do not light up or spark or anything when my amp is turned on with the tweeter at various volumes. I'm not sure if they are supposed to light up or not but I thought it would be worth mentioning! Any ideas anyone? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy67 Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 (edited) I wouldn't suspect so but, it would be worth taking one out to ascertain values then replace both fuses with new ones. Thornybank also had a lot of success by soldering all wires to the connectors of all speakers and inputs which made the cab work better. andy Edited April 18, 2011 by andy67 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime_BASS Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 [quote name='andy67' post='1195602' date='Apr 11 2011, 12:31 PM']Right Mr Cetera, you have confused me a bit! I thought that dialing the tube gain to full on (10) was optimum setting for the tubes?? Oh.. please explain andy[/quote] All it does is control voltage to some pre-amp tubes, which create a midrangey dirt when on 0. 0 is maximum voltage and 10 is little charge. It's supposed to sound more mellow with it on 10 but at high volumes I could never tell the difference. I did love this amp when I had just too heavy and large for my needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goingdownslow Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 [quote name='Prime_BASS' post='1206100' date='Apr 20 2011, 05:01 PM']0 is maximum voltage and 10 is little charge.[/quote] It is the other way round. From the manual [quote]Tube gain. The tube gain control varies the high voltage supply to the power tubes. This allows a variety of tonal response characteristics from the power amp and replaces the limiter found on typical solid state power amps. At "10" the voltage is at maximum, providing a dynamic, highly responsive tone. At "0" the voltage is at minimum, offering a thick ended, more compressed tone. This tone can also be distorted, depending on volume level. In between settings are best for preventing harsh distortion when driving the power amp to its limits. The effect of this control increases from moderate to dramatic as the power amp is driven harder.[/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 [quote name='MatthewKeys' post='1202587' date='Apr 17 2011, 01:36 PM']The glass fuses look intact, but they do not light up or spark or anything when my amp is turned on with the tweeter at various volumes. I'm not sure if they are supposed to light up or not but I thought it would be worth mentioning![/quote] The 'glass fuses' aka bulbs only light up when you're trying to push too much power through the tweeter. As they glow they soak up excess power and if you continue to push more and more power through they eventually blow like a fuse to protect the tweeter. Did you try playing recorded music through the rig? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatthewKeys Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 [quote name='alexclaber' post='1207115' date='Apr 21 2011, 02:32 PM']The 'glass fuses' aka bulbs only light up when you're trying to push too much power through the tweeter. As they glow they soak up excess power and if you continue to push more and more power through they eventually blow like a fuse to protect the tweeter. Did you try playing recorded music through the rig?[/quote] Hey When I was testing the glass fuses to see if they lighted up, my volume was full on the tweeter and on my amp. I boosted treble and they didn't light up in the slightest.. not a spark. And no, I took out the tweeter and used it on my dads P.A system and played music through it that way, it sounded as if it was working fine. But the problem is not just the tweeter not working, the entire cabinet sounds rubbish. The 4 10s by themselves sound absolutely awful, at band practice you cant make out a single note i'm playing. I resulted in using my friends £100 pound combo because it sounded better than my rig. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 That cab, IMO, is VERY bass heavy! I have heard some call it a bit muddy. Something doesnt seem right though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatthewKeys Posted April 22, 2011 Author Share Posted April 22, 2011 [quote name='Musicman20' post='1207410' date='Apr 21 2011, 07:08 PM']That cab, IMO, is VERY bass heavy! I have heard some call it a bit muddy. Something doesnt seem right though.[/quote] Really? I just want to fix it so it's working properly then sell it. Are 6x10s and 8x10's less bass heavy? Or are all Ampeg cabinets like that. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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